


How To Groom Your Dragon

by LittleLinor



Category: Cardfight!! Vanguard
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fire Emblem Fusion, M/M, Xeno
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-21
Updated: 2018-11-21
Packaged: 2019-08-26 22:57:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16690534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleLinor/pseuds/LittleLinor
Summary: Shingo learns about dragon biology





	How To Groom Your Dragon

Shingo may not have been an expert on the behaviour of dragons, but that still didn’t mean he was prepared for the sight of Naoki rolling on the ground on his back on the pebbled riverbank.

To be fair, contrary to his first passing thought of  _is he a dragon or a dog_ , he didn’t seem to be enjoying himself. As Shingo watched, he swung back to his feet with a frustrated whine, before noticing Shingo and freezing, carefully folding his wings closer to his sides.

“Er-”

“What were you doing?”

He moved closer, and though Naoki looked on edge at first, he relaxed as soon as Shingo reached up with his arm, head lowering to his level so Shingo could pet it.

“… one of my scales is shedding but it won’t come off.”

“You shed?”

“Not whole skins anymore, but the scales replace themselves… there’s a new one underneath but it won’t grow properly cause it just–” he twisted his neck to reach his back, but apparently came up short and moved back to Shingo’s level, sighing, “won’t come off.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“I think the new one can grow crooked if it stays too long…” He looked away. “Also… it itches,” he added in a quiet voice, though in this shape whispering was a wasted effort.

Shingo chuckled and rubbed at his jaw. Naoki lowered his head dejectedly and rested it on the ground.

“Not funny,” he grumbled.

“Can I help you with it?”

Naoki’s wings twitched a little.

“Huh?”

“It wouldn’t do for you to need to scratch yourself halfway through a battle if you’re flying.”

There was a short pause, and then:

“… if you want to.” Naoki straightened a bit and stretched his wings again, shaking them a little. “It’s… just behind the right wing. Should be darker than the others. Need help climbing?”

“Can you pull me up with your tail?”

“Yeah.”

Naoki’s tail moved within reach, and Shingo held on to it as it rose in the air, gently dropping him on Naoki’s back. He took the few last steps to his wing, careful not to slip and fall on it, and examined his back.

There, a few hands’ width away from the joint, a scale in a darker, duller shade of orange, slightly askew. He kneeled next to it and tentatively reached for it where it rose off the tight, well fitted layer of scales.

His fingers slid underneath, but when he pulled, nothing happened.

“I found it,” he called. “But it’s not moving.”

“You’ll–probably have to pull.”

“Won’t that hurt?”

“Not much–it’ll be worse if I don’t get it off.”

He nodded and took a firmer hold, then pulled again, harder. The scale moved a little, then stuck, as if its angle was still firmly attached to Naoki’s skin. No matter how much careful strength he put into it, nothing would make it move.

“Are you  _sure_  it’s supposed to come off?”

“Yeah.”

“It feels like it’s still  _attached_ , not just stuck…”

“Don’t worry about it. Just tug on i–”

Shingo tugged with all his strength and Naoki’s voice dissolved into a deep growl as the scale came loose.

“S-see?” he breathed out once he got his breath back and Shingo his balance.

“Is it always like that?” He grumbled, moving towards Naoki’s side on all fours so he could slide down.

“Well normally I can work them out myself if they get stuck… but it was behind the wing.”

Shingo let himself fall to the ground, where Naoki cushioned his fall with his tail.

“There you go,” he sighed, handing him the scale.

“Oh. Yeah. Um.” Shingo raised an eyebrow, and he shifted his wings slightly before continuing. “… you can keep it if you want. They’re good luck, people say–and good defense if you wear them on your chest. For weapons  _and_  magic.”

Shingo stayed dumbstruck. The only time he’d heard of something similar, it was regarding the dragonscale armours of old–and those had been rare, expensive, and had caused a bitter war with a dragon clan.

“… are you sure?”

“Yeah!” He smiled. “You helped me, the least I can do is help protect you, right?”

Shingo nodded and slid the large, shimmering scale between the layers of his robes.


End file.
